EARL GREY AND ORANGE BAKED DOUGHNUT HOLES

Why drink your tea when you can eat it, am I right? The subtle Earl Grey with a hint of citrus makes these doughnut holes such a delicate and delightful treat.

It all started with a rare and strange craving for earl grey. The very next day these tasty morsels were born, and let me tell you, my earl grey craving was more than satisfied! I've honestly never been a fan of tea; I'm more of a crazy coffee junkie! However, these doughnut holes have quickly become my new favourite afternoon snack, not to mention they seem to be mysteriously disappearing whenever my coffee-loving husband is around!

I managed to tweak the recipe to incorporate maximum amount of earl grey flavour. The added citrus from the orange also compliments these bite-sized doughnuts perfectly! Long story short, these flavours are basically a match made in heaven.

If you do not have a cake pop / doughnut hole maker, you could always bake these in a cake pop pan or a doughnut pan in the oven. You will love the light, delicate texture of these doughnuts. In fact, I prefer baked over the traditional deep-fried method!

I will say, however, that you will be shocked by how much glaze is required to cover the doughnut holes. If you are making doughnuts, a single batch will suffice; but if you are making doughnut holes like myself, you will certainly need a double batch of the glaze.

EARL GREY AND ORANGE BAKED DOUGHNUT HOLES:

Yields a giant plateful of bite-sized doughnuts (or 12 regular doughnuts)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup milk

• 1 TBSP whole earl grey tea leaves

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 tsp ground earl grey tea leaves

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

• 3 TBSP butter, melted

• 2 tsp orange zest

• 2 TBSP orange juice

• 2 TBSP milk

• 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups icing sugar

DIRECTIONS:

For the Doughnut Holes:

1. Add milk and whole tea leaves into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to steep as the milk cools to room temperature. Strain tea leaves from the milk and set aside.

2. Whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the sugar. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, vanilla, butter, and cooled tea-milk. Add the dry ingredients and gently stir until fully incorporated.

4. Fill your choice of baking dish half full with the batter and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

For the Glaze:

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients besides the icing sugar. Add icing sugar slowly until the desired consistency is reached.

2. Dip each doughnut / doughnut hole into the glaze, wipe off the access, and place on a wire rack to harden. To speed up the hardening process, place these into the fridge for a few hours until the glaze is set.

PRO TIPS:

• Always make more glaze than you think you'll need. It is a giant pain in the bum to stop the glazing process to make more!

• Don't have dipping tools? Use a plastic fork and snap off the middle tongs. This works fabulously!

#earlgrey #orange #baked #doughnut #doughnutholes